Corn husking roll



Sept. 16, 1952 J. c. JozwlK 2,610,633

CORN HusxING ROLL Filed Jan. 26, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 lll 113 3structure e which is adapted to support various operative elements ofunit l' and which is fabricated from suitable angle, channel, and platesections. rThe operative elements include a plurality of cooperatingrolls which denne a husking hed i l and a slat type conveyor mechanismi3 which is resiliently supported in an overlying relation with respectto the hed i i. Another slat type conveyor mechanism i5 is disposedbelow the husking bed i i to remove the corn husks and other foreignmaterials which pass through the hed ii during the husking operation.The conveyor mechanism i5 is further adapted to separate corn kernelsfrom the husks and other foreign materials that pass between the rollsduring operation. The husking unit 'l also includes a co-acting sprocketgear and drive chain mechanism, indicated generally at i8, for actuatingthe various moving parts. A disposal meansv which may be a belt typeconveyor assembly il as shown in the drawings, yis provided rearwardlyof the husking bed il'. During husking operations the assembly ilYremoves the stripped ears of corn from the husking unit i to Ysuitablemeans for transporting the ears to a storage crib or the like.

A pair of spaced-apart side members EQ generally denne a passagewaywhich is adapted to receive the( picked ears of corn, and these sidemembers i9 are suitably fastened to and supported upon the main framestructure e. The husking bed Il forms arbase or bottom for thispassageway and includes rolls 2i, 23, 25 and 2l which comprise twocooperating pairs. Specifically, Aroll 2i is positioned to cooperatewith roll 23 and rolll cooperatively acts with roll 2l. The rolls 2i,23, 25 and El are arranged so that their longitudinal axes lie in agenerally parallel relation, and so that alternate rolls are verticallyoffset with respect to the adjacent rolls as shown in Fig. l. Y

During normal operation, the rolls 2l, 2S, 25' and 2'1 Vare disposed ina manner such that the longitudinal `vaxes'Y thereof are inclineddownwardly frointhe cornV inlet at the forward end of the unit (Fig.52'), and this arrangement of the ends of the shafts 23' are'journalled4in suitabler acidosis :E Ci

bearings (not shown) which arel attached to the ated with roll 23,forwardly Aof the spur gear 3 i,

as is shown in Fig. i. r`Ehe bevel gear 33 is adapted to register withand to be drivenV hy another Y bevel gear 35 which is iixedly attachedlto a trans-A f versely extending shaft Si. This shaftV jill vis`iournalled in suitable bearings attached tothe main frame structure.52. A sprocket @Sis keyed to the shaft 3'! outward of the main framestructure 9 l(Figi) andY issadapted to-'be rotated-by a suitable drivechain di which may he connected to the main driving means for theharvesting apparatus.

The conveyor mechanism 3 which is disposed in an overlying relation withrespect to the husking bed ii (Fig. 2) comprises an endless cross slattype conveyor d which travels generally longitudinally of the huskingunit l', As pointed out hereinoefore, the mechanism il is resilentlysupported upon the main frame structure il. The conveyor mechanism i3includes a frame structure d?, the forward portion of which isresiliently supported on the main framer S oy iin-.cans of a pair ofcompression spring supports or counter balances l (Fig. 2)'. Therearward portion of -the structure fil is rotatively supported on atransversely extending shaft iii which also supports apairof drivingsprockets 53 adapted to provide power for the conveyor 43. A pair ofrelatively large sprockets 55 are rotatively supported adjacent theforward end of the frame structure ll'l to engage' and to support thevcrossslat conveyor c3. r

The' cross-Slat conveyor i3 is suitably tensioned by means of two pairsof sprockets,- designated as 63 and E5 in the drawings, which areresiliently supported for rockable movementV intermediate the largesprockets 55 and driving sprockets 53.

Each pair of tensioning sprockets is supported, Y

oneabove the other, on the rearward portion of a pair ofhorizontallyspaced, longitudinally extending,`triangularly shaped plates El whichare rockably mounted on and resiliently supported by the compressionrspring supports fill.. VThe compression spring supports 49 arepivotally attached to the forward portion of the support plates 6l. Therearward portion of the plates 5'! 'are supported by means of thetensioning sprockets E3 and riding on the cross-Slat conveyor 43.

The shaft 5| which 'is adaptcd'to support the driving sprocket 53 of theconveyor mechanism I3 is rotated by a'sprocket Se which is keyedthereto. This sprocket 69 is attached to an end of the supporting shaft5l (Fig. 2) and Vis adapted to be connected tothe main driving means i8of the husking unit l. By means of the above described arrangement ofparts, the conveyor mechanism i3 is adapted to effectively press thepicked ears of corn into engagement with the cooperating husking rolls2i and 23, and 25 and 2l.

The conveyor mechanism I5 which is disposed below-the. husking bed lland whichis adapted Vto separate any shelled corn-from the husks andother foreign material falling'through the bed duringY operation,comprises an endless cross-Slat conveyor 'Hwhich is supported; duringnormal operationsgenerally horizontally'on a pair of idler sprockets13and a pair of'drivingsprockets i5 and a perforated'plate or pari TI. Thedriving sprockets Y'i5 are spaced rearwardly from the idler sprockets(Fig. 2). The cross-Slat conveyor 1i is of a well known type and.includes a pair of spaced longitudinally extending chains having aplurality of relatively widely spaced, transversely vextending slats 'I9attached thereto.

The idler sprockets 13 Y are supported on a transversely extending shaft8| which is journalled in suitable bearings attached to the main frameYstructure 9; lThe perforated .plate 'il is disposed rearwardly of shaft2l/and is `attached to the. mainv frame-structure 9. -The plate 1l ispositioned belowthe. upper krun ofthe conveyor 7l 'and intermediate theidler and driving sprockets 'I3 and 75 ofthe conveyor mechanism Y i511.Duringfoperation;separatedkernels of 4cornandathemtherri.of-rwhich.iissoperativelyco correlated\. speeds..=.. f

' formed therein...

' a transversely extending; :shaft-:Bliwhichi is ifa-ism:journalledffin-rsuitable; bearingszxa.attachedz torithef:

main frame structure 9. This shaitrzcsupportss. the.; sprockets'lf;andtf; Onelflflof swhibf'isv 10 adapted'fto 'engage-.thamain:drtviriie"incantil 4.8i.' y

nectedz'togthmzsprocket Efirawhclmisgbperablea t drive theoresilientlyfsupponte 'f slatr: conveyonr;

complished byrmeanszofist:'.chan'` 9 li whicltitran of-ithe:huskngfeunit i1; z'tointlreiupperarosseslato conveyonzdS-z.. y

The particular disposal means illustrated, coming;

thatf-ftheresilientfhuskingi rolls.; 3,-.-and;:2-`L .yieldprisestheibeltetypezconyeyor':assemblyiil l.; :which isfzoperabletoxconvem#theestrippedsfears off'oom'zi.. from the husking unit 1. Theconveyor asseme bly I1 is positioned rearwardly of the toreceivextheiiusked; Aearsg'as.::theynidropmfroms.the 25,;

rollnbedril lz; n The; Qonveyonfassemblyd Tais; trav: welk-known... ypeianch-.,includeseaan;rendlessagbeltconveyor:93ewhichgisiadaptedutmtravelcupward andfearwardly;'from-;azpan=onidriving ysprockets- 95n.. These;sprocketszzane-zixediyrfattachedgtoxatt-30 transversely zextending;shaftzflwvhiolnis'zrotatedbysmeanaofianother?sprocketnSIQWhicIinegistersr:withthetmainidrivingrmeans:ilSES.'

The mainfdrivingzmeanszfla aincludesffaesourcef;

l 5:5. Through lthis :arrangement-nhe. maifnirlrive-55 ingsfmeansg. l8:;-1a1`112bf the Operative@ elementsioi' the-shuskingguniwlarenlrivenconourrentlys-zauif Asnpreviously :noteditheepnesentiinventornszisaparticularly:conceinemwithntleiconstructionzzos0.

husking rolls fused in husking;mechanismsz'ofxtlfez;: class. describedn.^Theseyrollsamay:benoit varyingi lengths-:and'diameters,but;fonzoptimunmhuskingiff eiciencyfgthe; rolldiameterawillfbegin athe frangeii:

of from about two to four inchesev '.Su'elmpixilomefzfw65'A tioning :ofiLthe'.;l huskingzerolls: ,provideszgefoent huskingzandfminimizesdamageftoztheearsibeing'; huS1d.. 1. .-k Itihasffbeenizthe;:practieemeresantoriniy tocfempioy; J cooneratingnrollmmade.cfg-steels materakhavinesf dentationtheimresentirnvntionacontemnlatess.th each?tft-heicooneratingifgrolliaceithereofr: A.,partcularlvgdesnabieifresiliemzv husking roll isachieved@througirsprovisioir .of-a5 helical.. flute `ron .its-.router.'fsurfane, .asizshlowngn Figs; 1',.2;a1.1 d 3.3'.

The fhelically; flutedv resilient irollsiti and-2 fla-. illustratedinzthedrawinagcanzrbe:usediwthzavanfious; types;.oficooperating; rolls.However;.:the,;. preferred, combination; is ..shown.;irx;;Fig. 1.aildzrag1 wherein-theghelicallyfluted.resilientrollsfZ-Siandr: 27-"are; used; in combinationrwithfrigidgrolls 2 l;- i' and:.2.5.,These;,rigid= rolls .2 I. and-12 Sfhavefagpm fralityfoifzspacedrapartlongitudinal-1v1: extendine:.f-; flutes l09-therein... Add-itionalfombinations ares. shown `in Fig,s .15; andwhereintheahelicailm flutedf; resilient .roll 23 -is shown paired .1v/ith,- a:resilient or,rigi dfroll .I Il havinggapsmooth .Gli.1;.indrieal sur-e#facerEig. 5) ,f or with: anotherispirally f1uted-.rol1f.. I lf3I which.likewise. be.I :of:resilientzorrigi. material Fia-6)vl'der-.-eificien-t. .-:huski ngoperationaitnlsanecessaryv` l a,-sufcientamount .in. a Vlocali/Zedaaraa-1 to :allow f passageeofftrash, r`foreign..mate1zial:';and.rV the,.like,. between theicooperatinggrollsf; Withoutf.; atsthefi Sametime, interrupt-ingfthevoperative.engagern.ent- 'of the -pair cfg-rolls.A- This localized,lateral yield-.f ing is accomplished, in part, in the improved..huskingmechanism-rby; coveringthe shafts 29fof rolls-2 3. andv-2."Iwith. alayer; l I5. of...resilient .many

ter-iai `havirlgfahardness in .the raI-.ldirom about 60-A11duron1eterafter l0. seconds.l to .955A durorn eter afterlO seconds..Theshafts29.may,fb..ot, anydesired shape, but particularlvefectivehuskingis. obtained. whenthe .shaft ..2 9Lis;-Inulti=sided,` asV .forexample,the square .shaft shown. at` 2 5a.'- inFigure 4.. r

The type. A durometer. '.used...to. measure; the@v hardness of Vtherubber comprising th'efresilient.. rolls is an` instrument. thatv .isrecogllizedbyt the American Socetyg of, TestinglMater-ials. and. 4therubber lindustry..ger'lerally., lthas been recom@ mendedbytheA..-S..T...M. for the determination.. of the.. hardness; of.,4Vrubber..and`likeA material,... However, this frecommendationjstentative. fand .7. hasv been given .number Df-SFZBL..Th'el..tentative.- designation bythe. A. Si. T. M.l,mere1yf findicatesq. thatA the. procedure for.. operation. .of the...instruv`mentlis'i not4 delnitely. settled. Consequently,thef;. description... oftheprocedure... adopted... for. the.,- measurements used hereinvvillgbeiset forth...y

In the. present .determinationsatypeA-.duromeeter has been used Wthaload of 2 pounds Yfor.;V all. measurements. This .-load is translated toanv inverted fr usto-oonical` impressen..point...whichz pressesV into.thel surface to be tested.:varying:dis-zV tances. depending Y upon thehardnessi thereon.. For thefpresent tests,Y the impr-esser.; point ,hada diameter. of. .031. inch. and :flared outwardlyyto Y a diameterrof`.052\inch.. Thefsidesfof.therfrustof` Vconical impresser vpoint..converge;fat;.anY angle tof f.. 35'. The impresservpoint Was'lallfivvedf'lv-seoondsztoL penetrate into the rubber.-suriaces;tested.The1 extent .of this -fpenetrationlzwasmeasured? ibyf. astandard' meterusedv withdurometers; and' the. readingtakenfromrthismetenindicatedftheharde.- nessoffthepresilient material...f Y

Inthepreferred embodiment :illustrated-.in #the v drawings-f the yresilient. frollsf2 3-zj1and5ri21 areoprQ-.wvided'V with fa pairv of.;continuous.; spacedfaparm.

1 generally'. helical ilutesi H1' which; arefformed infrprevdedthereinelsfparticularl-nsueeessiutinnrofviding'efflcie'ntstripping action in husking meeha- A nisms of the class described. l

In addition to the yielding accomplishedV through the provision ofresilient layersV ||V out spaces constitute a pair of generallychannelshaped, hollowed out passageways I I9 which extend helicallyaround the inner surface of the resilient layer IIE. This constructionof the inner surface of the layer I I5 provides lands orjribsintermediate the passageways IIS. In order to bind the resilient' layerI|5 to the supporting shaft 29, the ribs |20 are vulcanized or otherwiseiixedly attached to the shaft 29. The ribs |20 are disposed radiallyinwardly of the flutes I I1 formed on the outer surface ofthe roll, asshown in Figs. 3 and 4. The particular roll construction which has beendescribed is operable to permit localized inward yielding of the rollsurface and at the same time to maintain the remainder of the rollsurface in operative engagement with the cooperating roll.

The pitch, depth and width ofthe flutes II? which are formed in thesurface of'rolls 23 and 21 may vary between wide limits, depending uponthe particular embodiments of the roll. However, the depth of thepassageway I I5 should bear a ratio to the thickness of the resilientlayer II 5 in the range from about 1 to 3 to l, and the width of theland or rib |20 should bear a ratio to the width of the flute I I1 offrom about 1 to 4 to 1, the flute ||1 being disposed centrally of theland I2@ as illustrated.

During the operation of the husking apparatus 1, illustrated in Figs. 1and 2, the ears of corn, picked during the corn harvesting process, aredropped on the bed I I of rapidly turning, cooperatively acting, huskingrolls 2|, 23, 25 and 21. rIhe husks ,are engaged or grasped in the nipswhich are provided along the line of tangential Contact between thecooperating rolls 2| and 23 and rolls and 21. The resiliently supportedslal; conveyor I3, which is disposed in an overlying relation withrespect to bed I i, is adapted to cooperatively act With this bed i i toaid in causn ing the ears of corn to engage the aforementioned nips.

Due to the fact that rolls 23 and 25 are fabricated from resilientmateriaLso as to provide roll surfaces having a relatively high coearsthen pass downzthe husking bed II to the disposal means I1. At the sametime, the husks I are deposited on theslat type conveyor I5 which isdisposed below the husking bed I I. `vvv.as pointed out before, 'theconveyor mechanism I5 separates any loose-corni from the husks andpasses the husks tosuitable'disposal means (not shown) In the event thata foreign object or undevelopedear'enters the hips-which exist between apair of cooperating rolls 2| and 23 or 25 and .21, the surface` of theoll'yields inwardly in the loylength of that object.

calized area adjacent that object and, as a result, yielding andseparation at the roll surfaces caused by a foreign object passingbetween rolls 2| and 23 or rolls 25 and 71 will vclosely approximate theThis feature allows the remainder of the nip between .thecooperatingrolls to continue invnormal operation,`resulting husking operation.

From the foregoingdescription and discussion, it is readily observedthat the helically fluted re silient husking roll of the invention makespossible a great improvementv in husking operation,

in a considerableincrease inthe eiiiciency of the and when used with asimilar roll or` other -roll' used in the art, a greatly improvedstripping action results. 'In addition, the above Vdescribed huskingapparatus uses av (minimum number vof parts and permits husking of thecorn with minimum shelling of the kernels and damage to the ears.

Various features of my invention which are believed to be new are setforth in the appended claims. f

I claim:

l1. A husking roll adapted for use with the apparatus of the classdescribed, said husking roll including a supporting shaft, and agenerally tubular shaped layer of resilient material which is disposedabout said shaft, said resilient material having a hardness in the rangefrom about GO-A durometer after' lseconds to 95-A durometer after 10seconds, said resilient layer having a pair of oontinuous',spaced fluteshelically circumscribing the outer surface thereof, said flutes having agenerally semi-circular cross section, the inner surface of said layerhaving a pair of ribs formed thereon, saidrribs being disposed radiallyinwardly of said helical flutes throughout the length of said roll, saidribs being attached to said shaft thereby providing Vhollow passagewaysintermediate said resilient layer and said shaft.

2. A husking roll adapted for use in apparatus of the class described,said husking roll including a supporting shaft and a layer of resilientmaterial disposed about and fixedly attachedto vsaid shaft, the outersurface of Asaid resilient layer being provided Vwith a 4pair ofcontinuous, spaced apart, generally .helically extending flutes, saidflutes having a generallysem-circular cross section, said resilientlayer havnga hardness in the range of from about 60.A durometer after 10seconds to 95.A durometer afterA 10 seconds, the inner surface of saidresilient layer having a pair of'continuous, spaced apart, generallyhelically extending ribs thereon, said vribs being disposed radiallyinwardly of said flutes, said'ribs being attached to said supportingshaft thereby forming hollow. passageways intermediate said resilientlayer and said shaft, said resilient layer having a thickness whichbearsa ratio to the depth of said posed radially inwardly of `saidhelical flute` throughout asubsta'nt'lal portion of the lengthrof "fsaid roll, said rib being attached to said shaft silient layer and saidshaft.

4. A husking roll adapted for use with apparatus of the class described,said husking roll including a supporting shaft, and a generally tubularshaped layer of resilient material which is disposed about said shaft,ythe outer surface of said resilient material having means thereon foradvancing crop materials longitudinally therealong, said resilientmaterial having a generallyr helical rib formed on the inner surfacethereof which rib abuts said shaft and extends along a substantialportion of the length of said roll, thereby providing space intermediatesaid resilient material and said shaft.

5. A husking roll adapted for use with apparatus of the class described,said husking roll including a supporting shaft and a generally tubularshaped layer of resilient material which is disposed about said shaft,the outer surface of said resilient material having a helical continuousflute formed therein which extends along a substantial portion of thelength of said roll, said resilient material having a generally helicalrib 10 formed on theinner surface thereof which abuts said shaft andwhich extends along a substantial portion of the length of said roll,thereby providing space intermediate said resilient layer and saidshaft, said flute in said resilient material and said rib formed on theinner surface of said resilient material having substantially the samepitch.

JOHN C. JOZWIK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

